Red Cashmere Sweater / Ponte Pants / Leopard Heels / Purse / Necklace

Happy Monday! While I’m out in Costa Rica this week, the blog is still in full swing over here. Thank goodness for being able to preschedule posts 🙂

I’m definitely starting to get more in the holiday spirit now that Christmas is feeling like it’s almost here. Last week I went to a Frosty’s pop up bar that was basically the most magical Christmas bar I’ve ever been to. It was filled with insane lights, a real Santa Claus (honestly, that part mostly freaked me out), holiday drinks, and the most over-the-top holiday décor you could possibly imagine. I went with a few co-workers, and while I was a little skeptical at first about the whole concept, it was honestly a blast.

I’m definitely a holiday pop-up convert, and it’s made me want to check off a few other holiday traditions off my list – like the Christkindle market, Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo, picking up hot chocolate at Mindy’s Hot Chocolate in Bucktown, seeing the big tree in the 900 Michigan Shops, the list goes on and on. Chicago is definitely one of my favorite places to be around the holidays, even if it is ridiculously, stupidly cold outside. Now I just need to get my butt in gear when I’m back from Costa Rica to make sure I actually check a few holiday activities off my list! Besides packing in the holiday activities, this time of year always makes me reflect and feel super thankful for my friends and family. I know it’s probably cheesy, but everyone’s in such a good mood, it’s the turn of another year, and everyone has an excuse to celebrate and get together. I’ve also been reflecting on how I show appreciation for the people I love – and how to do a better job of it.  Whether it’s just checking in and saying hi, doing little nice things for the people I love around me, calling my friends who live far away – it doesn’t take much to do something to show someone you care about them.

One (maybe kinda random thing I’ve realized) is that I have a hard time telling people (besides my parents) that I love them – and use the word “love”. I guess it’s not that I have a hard time, but when the opportunity comes up to text someone back “Love you!”, I usually do some iteration of “<3 you”, “<3 <3 <3”, etc., but usually don’t say “love you too!” back. For some reason saying “I love you” seems too formal for friends – or too serious, even though they are people I genuinely and whole heartedly love. It shouldn’t be weird, or hard – or at least a second thought – to tell someone how you feel. But I thought it was interesting that it’s something I’ve second guessed in the past, and never really stopped to think about it.

So I’m going to try to make a more concerted effort to do little nice things for people I love, and throw in an wholehearted “love you” when the opportunity arises. Do you second guess texting “love you” to friends too? I’m probably crazy, but at least I’m working on it 😉 Okay, aaaaaannnnnywaaaays, now that I’ve gone on a slew of tangents in this post – back to the task at hand: this holiday outfit. Ann Taylor seriously crushed it with their holiday collection this year, and I went a little crazy with buying holiday pieces for myself this year (I couldn’t help it, they were just too good!).

I picked up these cozy leggings and this gorgeous red cashmere sweater that’s quickly becoming one of my favorite pieces in my closet. I love wearing red, and it’s perfect for the holidays and beyond. Plus, it’s so cozy and chic that I can look somewhat dressed up at work while still feeling super comfy. I also picked up these block leopard heels I’ve had my eye on since a similar pair came out this year. Leopard + suede bow are always a good combination in my book 😉